NBA Rumors: Anthony Davis To Cavaliers Trade Could Dethrone GSW, According To Analyst

ESPN First Take's Stephen A. Smith believes adding Anthony Davis will make the Cleveland Cavaliers the top favorite to win the title this season.

ESPN First Take's Stephen A. Smith believes adding Anthony Davis will make the Cleveland Cavaliers the top favorite to win the title this season.

As the February 8 trade deadline draws near, the Cleveland Cavaliers have emerged as one of the NBA teams who are being aggressive in the trade market. They are reportedly eyeing to acquire another superstar in order to strengthen their chance of reclaiming the NBA championship title this season. Should the Cavaliers trade for Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans?

Last offseason, multiple NBA teams made major upgrades to their roster and created their own super teams. However, the reigning NBA champions, Golden State Warriors, remain as the favorite to bring home this season’s Larry O’Brien Trophy. Last year’s runner-up, Cleveland Cavaliers, don’t have a huge improvement on their roster, and their current performance shows that they are not even in a strong position to fully dominate the Eastern Conference.

So far, Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics are expected to give LeBron James and the Cavaliers tough competition for Eastern Conference supremacy. Like the Cavaliers, the Celtics are also active in the trade market, searching for another superstar. One of their top targets is Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans.

According to Stephen A. Smith of ESPN, adding Davis will make the Celtics the favorite to come out of the East. However, Smith thinks if the Cavaliers acquire the 24-year-old center/power forward, they will undeniably beat any team in the league, even the Warriors.

Can the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire Anthony Davis before the February 8 trade deadline?
Rob Carr/Getty Images

Pairing Anthony Davis with LeBron James will be a matchup nightmare for the Warriors. They will look almost unstoppable on the offensive end of the floor. Also, Smith believes the potential acquisition of Davis will convince James to sign a long-term extension with the Cavaliers in the upcoming offseason.

However, trading for Davis would be extremely expensive, and there is a high possibility that the Cavaliers will need to give up the likes of Kevin Love together with the Brooklyn Nets’ 2018 first-round pick. Also, as of now, the Pelicans haven’t entertained any trade discussions involving their superstars.

Though Anthony Davis isn’t available via trade, the Cavaliers are still active on the market hoping to bolster their roster. Marc Stein of the New York Times reported that Cleveland is interested in trading for Lou Williams and DeAndre Jordan of the Los Angeles Clippers, and Sacramento Kings guard George Hill.